The Complete History of America (Abridged)

CFCArts is presenting The Complete History of America (Abridged) at the CFCArts Black Box Theatre, (250 SW Ivanhoe Blvd. Orlando, FL 32804). It was a bit tricky to find at Central Christian Church on Lake Concord. Parking was in back behind the church.

The show is a tongue in cheek roller coaster covering the history of America from Columbus to the modern day. I had seem actress Melanie Leon at Fringe in a musical called Buggin’ Out. She has an expressive way of using every nuance of a gesture to convey her thoughts,  and so I knew she would be very funny in the show. She sat in the audience several times and each time she got the audience members to interact with the cast on stage. Justin Hughes and James Blaisdell also kept the energy high in this fast paced show. There were fast paced costume changes galore, and a mysterious bullet kept sneaking into each period of history.

From the moment the actors took to the stage the lights flashed and they performed with over the top vaudevillian zeal. The trenchers of World War I were represented by several overturned chairs. The weapons they carried turned out to be high powered water guns and they sprayed the audience. I leaned forward and then closed the sketchbook to protect my sketch from the ravaged of war.

The final number was going to be either a high spirited Broadway musical number or a Film Noir mystery. A vote was put to the audience and we clearly wanted the Broadway number but at the last second it was decided that the Broadway number might have had the popular vote, but the Noir won based on the electoral college. The audience moaned.

The evening was a fun flippant and interactive experience which is perfect for the July 4th holiday. If you want a laugh with your fireworks, go see The Complete History of America (Abridged).

The remaining show dates are:

July 5, 2018 at 7:30pm

July 6, 2018 at 7:30pm

July 7, 2018 at 7:30pm

July 8, 2018 at 7:30pm

Tickets are $15 to $18.